Successful Summer Camp ensures future of program

August19,2011

by Staff Reports

The success of the first-ever Professional Development Summer Camp, held July 18-23, will ensure that the Department of Evangelization and Catechesis from the Diocese of Corpus Christi will continue the program in the future. The adult faith formation event attracted more than 160 participants, from Catholic schoolteachers to parish catechetical leaders.

“It was a time of fellowship, instruction and opportunity,” Margaret Alarilla, Director of Religious Education, said.

The Diocese of Corpus Christi has long recognized the importance of participation of adults in catechesis, both as students and teachers. In 1984, Bishop Rene Gracida founded the Pastoral Institute as a way to develop faith formation of adults and to prepare catechists and ministers within the diocese.

Today, the St. Paul School of Catechesis does the work begun through the Pastoral Institute.

“The principle aim of all catechesis is to bring people to an intimate communion with Jesus Christ that leads to them to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity,” Alarilla said.

From the beginning, the Catholic Church has considered catechesis a primary task because of the final command that Jesus gave to His apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

According to the “General Directory for Catechesis,” formation “seeks to enable catechists to transmit the Gospel to those who desire to entrust themselves to Jesus Christ. The purpose of formation, therefore, is to make the catechist capable of communicating: ‘The summit center of catechetical formation lies in an aptitude and ability to communicate the Gospel message.’”

In keeping with both the Jesus’ command and the General Directory for Catechesis, the primary purpose of the St. Paul School of Catechesis is threefold: first, to lead people to an intimate communion with Jesus Christ; second, to prepare local ecclesial ministers in areas such as catechesis and youth ministry among others; and to facilitate adult faith formation.

The summer camp helped schoolteachers of religion meet the requirements of the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department, which includes 150 hours of religion or theology. Topics required include Catholic doctrine; liturgy and sacraments; evangelization and catechesis; morality; prayer and spirituality; and Old and New Testament studies.

In addition to these core-required workshops, the summer camp offered classes on ministry with families; religious education; life, justice and human dignity; young adult and campus ministry; and youth ministry.

The commissioning process facilitated by the St. Paul School of Catechesis, in line with the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department, provides six core workshops and two electives, totaling 160 faith formation hours. Once completed, participants attend a diocesan-sponsored retreat and, pending a letter of recommendation and statement addressing their desire to participate in ministry, are commissioned by the diocese.